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Robert Marve is suspended for the season opener against Charleston Southern this coming Thursday.

The university hasn’t released an official statement, but rumor has it Marve shared the news with his high school coach and family members. This morning the story was confirmed by Barry Jackson at the Miami Herald.

The suspension is said to stem from an incident last Halloween in Coconut Grove when Marve was arrested on two misdemeanors; criminal mischief for breaking a car’s side mirror and resisting arrest by briefly fleeing police.

I spent some time on a few Canes-themed message boards today, as a fallout was guaranteed.

Par for the course, a slew of knee-jerk reactions from Miami’s fan base. The sky is falling. Randy Shannon should be fired. A quarterback controversy is now fait accompli, due to a one-game suspension.

Hold the phone, people. We’re talking about a redshirt freshman and a suspension against Nobody U, during a rebuilding year. Let’s keep things in perspective.

First things first, anyone blaming Shannon for consistently pressing on with his role of disciplinarian is off base. If you want to assess blame, look no further than #9. Marve’s actions landed him in hot water and a one-game suspension for a run in with the law is hardly out of line.

The redshirt freshman quarterback also blew off counseling appointments that were either part of his probation, or university implemented – which are rumored to be the bigger reason a suspension was handed down.

Attend the court-mandated meetings and Marve is suiting up on Thursday. Mess with the bull, get the horns and ride the pine.

Timing-wise, this is somewhat hard to fathom. I don’t disagree with that.

For an incident that occurred almost ten months ago, handing out punishment less than a week before the season opener doesn’t seem prudent. Especially with early reports that Marve was set to be named started tomorrow morning when depth charts are released.

Then again, maybe Shannon’s timing is perfect and he knows something about the psyche and demeanor of this particular player that the average fan doesn’t.

How would Miami’s quarterback battle have played out this spring if Marve knew he was missing the season opener? Would there have been resentment? Would he have worked as hard, or would he have checked out and remained bitter?

How would freshman quarterback Jacory Harris have responded? Would the suspension news have been a distraction? Would he have worked as hard if he knew game one was handed to him on a silver platter?

We’ll never know, but is sure sounds to me like Marve was been 1a to Harris’ 1b since day one and the long-term goal was not to disrupt the on-the-field battle with an off-the-field distractions.

What is known is that both quarterbacks battled day in and day out for the starting position, which Marve seems to have locked up. While he’ll sit out the August 28th opener, Marve will be back behind center on September 6th when Miami heads to Florida for the big time rivalry game.

Shannon has made no bones about doing things his way, punishing players when and where he feels it’s necessary – in an effort to mold young men and teach them some Life:101-type lessons many NCAA athletes aren’t receiving.

While this seems to go over the heads of many armchair head coaches, it should resonate with mature adults, concerned parents and anyone who sees a world where professional and college athletes have become entitled and above the law.

If this were the NFL, Marve would be slapped with a fine that wouldn’t even put a dent in his weekly check, let alone his bank account. Where’s the lesson there – taking a few bucks from an uber rich athlete?

If he were at some collegiate football factory elsewhere in this country, it’s a slap on the wrist and conformation that NCAA starting quarterbacks operate by a different set of rules and standards than other players or classmates.

Marve is in his formative years and coach Shannon is hitting this kid where it hurts; by taking playing time. Leaders don’t want to watch from the sideline, nor do they want to let their teammates down. This Thursday, Marve will do both.

”Robert is upset. Robert’s family is upset. We were having trouble seeing the wisdom of how an incident from last season is being handled,” said Eugene Marve, Robert’s father and a former NFL linebacker. “But at the end of the day we have to say that his actions created this.”

There might’ve been a better way to handle this situation, but the end result most likely would’ve been the same if the news broke in April or August. A one-game suspension for this infraction is impossible to argue and that should remain the focus. Not the timing or delivery of the punishment.

Robert Marve is going to learn from this and will become a better person – and player – as a result. You can take that to the bank.

In the grand scheme of life, what is one game? An evening. A few measly hours? It’s the blink of an eye – though the fallout and lesson learned have the potential of being monumental regarding a young man at this stage of his life.

The next time Mr. Marve gets so mad he could punch something, guess what? He probably won’t. Not when he knows the price tag attached to such an immature and selfish act. This suspension is going to help Marve grow, the same as the car accident which almost claimed his life last summer.

This isn’t a time for Marve to ask, “why me”? It’s a time for self-refection. Look within. Realize that there are repercussions for our actions and that no one is above the law. At least not at this point of his collegiate career and not during his tenure at the University of Miami.

Those of you frustrated with Shannon, what would you have done? Do you sweep this under the rug? Does the first-time starter run some stadium stairs and get a slap on the wrist? Where’s the lesson learned in all that?

Sometimes punishment has to be painful and just as a parent tells a child, “this is going to hurt me more than it hurts you” – the same goes for a second-year head coach on somewhat of a hot seat after a 5-7 season.

You make a statement while you still can. You do so while your quarterback can still be housebroken and before his arm and ego takes him places you can’t bring him back from.

The actions of these players impact the lives of their coaches and families of coaches. It’s big business. It’s bigger money. It’s real life. Does anybody really believe that Shannon and staff want to bench star players? Hell no. Coaches’ jobs and paychecks depend these kids winning ballgames and Miami is better off with Marve behind center.

That said, Shannon is all about right and wrong. Right is rewarded and wrong is punished. It’s a black or white issue, there is no middle ground and it takes some serious integrity to stand by your principles in situations like this. Personally, I applaud it.

As much as any Cane, I wish Marve were under center on Thursday, earning some valuable playing time for game two at Florida.

I also wish he never broke the damn mirror.

C’est la vie.

Rally behind Harris, gear up for some Miami Hurricanes football and think logically before directing your venom as The U’s skipper. In the end, Randy did the right thing here. ‘No Excuses’, remember?

This may be a small step back for a young football team, but it will be a huge step forward in the growth and development of a young man.

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